


comfort shirt

by wibbelkind



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-19 12:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2388032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wibbelkind/pseuds/wibbelkind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She doesn't intend to steal it from him, but the shirt is comforting, all soft flannel and worn-out sleeves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	comfort shirt

**Author's Note:**

> So this might not be my finest work to date but the headcanon about Bea wearing Ben’s shirt has a large repercussion in the fandom which is why this obviously needed to be written. (This took about two hours and I only re-read once. Sorry for any mistakes etc.)

He lends it to her on a rainy day. They skip school after lunch because sometimes all the talking and gossiping is too much for either of them. He drives them down to the beach and she takes a football with her, challenging him to a one-on-one battle on the shoreline. It's the first time since the party that he sees a glimpse of her old self again, energetic, fun-loving, stubborn and happy Bea. They kick the ball back and forth until the clouds pile up and the rain starts to pour.

They are both drenched and they end up at his house, putting jeans and t-shirts in the dryer. He lends her some tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt and they sit down in the living room, watching Game of Thrones and eating chocolate salad. He's learned a lot about her in the past few days, her quirks, her ways, what cheers her up and when she needs comfort. So he notices her shiver and he gets up, fetching a blanket and a long-sleeved shirt from his room. She takes both with a smile and when she falls asleep curled up next to him two episodes later, that smile's still there, very faint, on her lips.

  
  


She doesn't intend to steal it from him, but the shirt is comforting, all soft flannel and worn-out sleeves. She forgets she has it on until she gets ready for bed that night. It still smells like him and she folds it up, carefully, leaving it on the foot of her bed to give back to him the next day.

But then Hero has to be taken to Hospital and she completely forgets about the shirt until she comes home and sits down in her room, unsure about what to do with herself, on the verge of crying. She sees the shirt on her bed and before she can think about it much, she's put it on, pulling it around her shivering body like an armour that can protect her from the bad in the world. It's almost as if he's there with her, as if he's holding her close until her tears dry.

  
  


She calls him the next day, telling him about what happened to Hero and she almost tears up again. He's at her house ten minutes later and before he can even close the door to her room behind himself she has her arms wrapped around his chest. He hugs her closer, fingers running through her hair and stroking her back until she stops shaking and pulls away, wiping the sleeves of her shirt – his shirt – over her eyes. “Sorry”, she mutters. “I'm ruining your shirt. I forgot to give it back-” “It's fine, keep it as long as you like.”

Because if he's being honest, he loves seeing her wearing his shirt and he loves her and he wants to kiss her so bad, her hair, her mouth, here eyelids, the tears on her cheeks. But he pulls himself together, waiting for her to make a move. Because she's in a bad place right now and it sucks, for both of them, for Hero, for all of them really.

  
  


It almost becomes a habit, wearing his shirt when she needs strength or comfort. She takes it to his house one Tuesday afternoon, fully intended to give it back but then she sits down on his bed and he encourages her to finally vent her frustration about Claudio on camera. When she finally stops and Ben turns off the camera, she can't pull herself to take it off and leave it there, in his room, because she needs something to remind herself that he's there for her, that he's her friend or maybe something else. She's not so sure about it any more.

They talk about what is going on between them one Friday night, the weekend before Hero is finally release from hospital. They just talk and they agree that yes, she might need his comfort right now, but it's not the place and time to start a relationship, when her cousin is still hurting like that. But then Monday comes around and she just seems so happy about the fact that Hero's coming home and they sit together, him stumbling over the words to express how much he actually likes her because he can't help himself. That's when she kisses him and everything just stops.

  
  


She's wearing his shirt less and less now because she doesn't need it any more. They're not together, there's nothing official about it but somehow it becomes natural between them, soft touches and hands brushing and lingering hugs. She doesn't need his shirt for comfort because he's around, constantly, and she doesn't need his shirt for strength because she's building it up herself and she doesn't need a reminder because he sends her texts every night and every morning. She finds it cheesy but they make her smile and sometimes she texts back.

So when she gets dressed for Hero's vigil, rummaging through her clothes, she stumbles across his shirt and she puts it on. It brings a smile to his face when he picks her up, and for a moment she feels underdressed because he's gone all out, vest and shirt and everything. “You look good”, he says and she wants to kiss that stupid smirk right off his face. “You'll get it back later”, she promises. He frowns. “Why?” “It doesn't smell like you any more”, she admits. “And besides, I got you now.”


End file.
